The Burning Towers
by Louisiana Stephenic
Summary: This is the end. There's no going back for John and Sherlock now. All four detectives will be pushed to their limits, trust will be exploited and fears amplified. This isn't a case to find a murderer, it is a fight for the survival of their partnerships and their lives. Everything is about to change.
1. Chapter 1

The city looked like he'd remembered; the braziers on every corner casting the wide streets in a strange combination of light and dark, the large mansions towering high and regal above the dirtied maze like squabbles of the unimportant, and lastly the center piece of the city: _the burning towers_.

It all set alight a smoldering fire that burned in his veins. A fire that had come so close to expulsion was finally strong once more.

Even the smell was familiar to Vincent Cessation. Up high as he was, the air smelled of burning pines, but down bellow at street level he would enjoy the scent of fear, sweat and terror that wafted into every crevice. He smiled, taking in the moonlit city that he loved.

"You promised us we'd have them and they're gone. You better follow through or I swear you'll regret it!" Jack _the Ripper_'s voice interrupted Cessation's reflection.

He turned away from the beautiful sight before him and left his spacious balcony. He entered the bronze study that Moriarty and Jack had cornered him in. He brushed his hand slowly over the spines of the books that lined every wall, swirling his cognac with his left hand. The heat seeped from it and he smiled fondly. His favorite brew, all his old books, even his favored servants had been brought back for him. By the time he'd reached his home, everything had been back where it'd belonged.

"You promised me Miss Cain!" Jack raged, finally managing to attract Cessation's full attention. "I helped you, I killed countless woman to store up enough power to bring you here. I want my reward!"

"As do I." Moriarty added. "Sherlock is mine."

"Gentlemen," Cessation silenced them, "the search has not stopped. The King's men are out looking for them."

He settled down on the crimson couch that adorned the room. "You must simply be patient."

"I'm not a patient man." Moriarty drawled.

"The King has been incredibly generous to you. I suggest you wait and enjoy the pleasures that have been given to you." Cessation was bored of the two men, their fighting and whining, but if he was one thing, he was honorable. He would fulfill his promises.

"I can't wait." Jack growled. "I've given up my world for you and now I want what is mine!"

"Enough!" Cessation order, surging to his feet. "There is nothing anyone can do to make the search go faster. Why don't you leave with the search groups to find them? Leave me in peace."

The two mercenaries paused and exchanged looks. _How small their minds must be. _

"That might be good." Jack said slowly. "Yes I think we will do that."

"Then get going before the sand storm hits." He dismissed them and they left, barely remembering to bow.

Cessation stared after them and held out his glass, it was immediately filled. _They were fools really_. They would die without a fight. It was sad that most people were like that. "Denever."

A shadow previously unseen stepped into the light, Cessation's invisible companion.

"Yes my lord?" The large man bowed his head.

"Follow Jack the Ripper." Cessation ordered. "Make sure he doesn't interfere with my priorities."

The man smiled. "Always my lord."

He was gone before Cessation could turn around but he expected nothing less.

A crooked smile crossed his face. He was home, finally. He downed his drink and exited the room, striding through the corridors as seamlessly as he once did. He felt stronger with ever step, more in control, more at ease.

He knew no one would look at him the same as they once did. Everyone was watching, waiting to see it they could stick a knife in his back. Even his once loyal servants were spies now. He would have to show them that nothing had changed. They were in for a shock, all of them.

_Duke Vincent Aema Cessation was back. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay lovely loyal skuttlebugs, here is the next chapter. Sorry for the long update time but I've just started my last year of school and any time I'm not studying I'm sleeping or looking up courses for the future. I wasn't too sure where this story was going but I knew the general direction. Hopefully my updates will be more frequent but I can't make any promises :)**

**Thanks to ****everyone ****who has reviewed, followed or favorited this story you're support really makes me write more so please keep it up!  
Enjoy this chapter….. **

Valkyrie was thirsty. She wasn't used to being thirsty. She'd always had water nearby but now with her magic out she couldn't manipulate the water in the air. The symbols carved into her wrists had stopped itching, finally, but she couldn't stop staring at them. The swirl with the line through it stared back at her tauntingly. She wore half of her handcuffs on her wrist to bind her magic. Whenever she removed it her magic attacked her, boiling her blood in her veins.

And so she was left to die of thirst with Sherlock walking next to her, the worst conversationalist in the world.

"You know, when Skulduggery and I are on a stake out we play games to keep our morale up." She told him, shading her eyes with her hand.

"Yes I've heard that cops generally do that." Sherlock replied.

"Wanna play a game?" She smiled hopefully.

"I think we had better remain silent to conserve our energy and fluids." He dismissed her.

She sighed. _He was sooo boring. _

At least now they had a goal though instead of walking mindlessly in any direction. Approximately an hour ago they'd noticed some sort of an object on the horizon. As they got closer they'd agreed that it was a small town. With the threat of dehydration they hurried along, keeping quiet because of Sherlock's suggestion.

"What happens if there isn't a well there?" Valkyrie asked.

"I know several survival tactics that will help us." Sherlock answered. "However the likelihood of surviving long enough for them to work is not high at all."

"You fill me with confidence." She sighed and rubbed her painful eyes. They were dry.

After another hour of walking they reached the walls of the village. The wall was made of compacted sand. It surrounded a small village of stone medieval houses. It appeared however abandoned.

Doors hung on their frames, several houses were nothing but rubble and any form of life had been obliterated. Wind whipped through the streets, moaning and howling like the dead. Their muffled footsteps echoed around the square. The deserted place was like a ghost town, it creeped Valkyrie out.

"The well is here." Sherlock stepped up beside a large hole in the ground surrounded by stones. It wasn't what she was expecting.

"Just tell me it's not dried up." She begged.

Sherlock found a battered looking barrel and tied a fraying rope around it before lowering it down. She almost shouted for joy when she heard the splash of the bucket hitting the water. She grinned and turned away as he started pulling it up.

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Someone was watching them. She spun searching the windows of the nearby houses.

"How long do you think this place has been deserted?" She asked, her voice unnaturally loud in the square.

"Several years I imagine." Sherlock answered as he finished pulling the bucket up. "Good news, it's drinkable."

She hurried back to him as he finished drinking. He passed it to her and she relished the feeling of liquid sliding down her throat. She knew well enough not to scull it since she was dehydrated. She sipped it slowly.

Something crashed behind them and she jumped, knocking the water to the ground. Her eyes darted everywhere, desperately searching for the source of the noise.

"A large cat of some kind?" She hoped.

"Unlikely." Sherlock told her.

"You couldn't be a little more optimistic." She growled.

"I'm just being realistic." He hissed.

They both froze, eyes moving slowly and carefully around the square. Seconds passed, minutes passed. Finally Valkyrie chuckled nervously. She smiled and relaxed her stance slightly.

"Must have been the wind." She shrugged.

"I don't like it." Sherlock stated. "We must find higher ground. We can't leave this village until we find a way to carry water."

She held up a hand to shield her eyes and looked at the surrounding buildings. She spotted it, a guard tower up high on the surrounding wall. It was in a perfect position. It'd have a good view of the entrance to the village and of the square with the well.

"Up there." She pointed it out and he nodded.

Sherlock filled the bucket once more while Valkyrie kept watch on the surrounding roads. She was still on edge. Sherlock had been right when he said it wasn't a big cat. It had been something much darker and with a darker purpose in mind.

They moved off in silence yet again. Boring, non companionable silence. It was times like these that she realized just how interesting and entertaining Skulduggery truly was. She missed him. Of course she'd never admit that.

The guard tower was perfectly intact and there was no fear of the staircase collapsing under them as they climbed it. She marveled at how strong the stairs was. They were made of compact sand with a structure of wooden boards to ensure its stability. It was ingenious really except for the labor needed to create it.

She knew that slaves were used in this kind of building. It both disgusted and impressed her.

Suddenly Sherlock stopped, a hand held up in warning. She stood on her toes and looked over his shoulder. A rat man lay sprawled on the floor, _the _Ratman.

Sherlock walked in, checking either side of the room. Valkyrie just walked up to the sleeping man and kicked his leg hard.

The man was instantly awake. He scrambled away from her, eyes wide in terror. "Please don't_, I didn't do…."

Valkyrie held her hands up to calm him. "Whoa, calm down. I'm not going to hurt you, much."

His relaxed instantly and his head collapsed backwards in exhausted relief. "You're not her. Oh thank the gods, you're not her." He laughed bitterly.

She frowned however. The ratman was terrified of someone. His right eye was swollen shut, his lips cut and bleeding, and blood was running down his right forearm. Someone had beaten him up. She knelt down in front of him, forcing a sympathetic expression onto her face.

"Who did this to you?" She asked gently.

He shook his head. "The demon. This is her village and I entered it. When you enter it, you don't leave."

"We didn't see any demons here. It's just an empty village."

"The Demon killed everyone here. Killed a whole battalion." He shook his head determinedly. "But if you haven't seen her yet, you, you can get out. Leave before she knows you're here, take me with you please?"

Sherlock stopped looking around the single room and stared at the man. "We want you to shunt us back home."

"I can't." The man whimpered. He began crying. He pulled up his sleeve revealing new cuts carved into his skin. It was the symbols that had been carved into her wrists, these were unnervingly fresh. "Slave marks. My magic is gone!"

"Now you know how I feel." Valkyrie snapped angrily. "Wait, what do you mean _slave_?"

"They're the symbol of a slave!" He cried desperately. "It cuts the magic off and binds it violently around your body, preventing any means of escape. I used to be a Lord! Lord I tell you!"

"Just be quiet for a minute." Valkyrie interrupted. He looked pathetic to her, miserable and stupid. He didn't deserve whatever he got. She turned to Sherlock. "If there is some kind of a demon here we better be ready for it."

"She." Sherlock corrected. "Not it. He called the demon a she."

"Your friends will be able to help us." Ratman shouted. "They'll help you."

"They're not here!" Valkyrie yelled back. "Now just be quiet please."

"They are." The man sighed. "I brought them here, to save you, to stop Cessation."

Valkyrie paused. "What did you say?"

"I used a binding circle to connect them to the shunt. They're here and they'll help us, they have to." He muttered.

She turned away from him and to Sherlock. "If Skulduggery is here then we'll be saved soon. We just have to keep away from the _demon_, until he gets here. Maybe we should leave Ratman and hide somewhere else."

Sherlock shook his head. "Whoever the demon is they already know we're here. This is a good vantage point from practically every angle."

"So we stay. Great." She shivered as the sun begun going down. The temperature would drop below comfort level soon. She pulled her jacket tighter around herself and sat down in the corner, facing the window.

Silence fell over the small group. Ratman curled up where he was again, eyes darting left and right. Whatever had attacked him had terrified him. She suspected he would never fully recover.

Sherlock sunk to the ground beside her and they both watched in inevitable silence as the sun crept slowly below the horizon. The space around them became black and cold. It would be a hard, scary night.

"We should probably sleep in shifts." Valkyrie whispered. "In case something attacks us."

"You can sleep first." Sherlock answered, not bothering to be quiet. "I'll wake you when it's your turn."

She nodded then realized he probably couldn't see her. "Alright. I warn you though I can be angry when awoken."

"I'm sure you can't be worse than John." He replied.

She smiled briefly before lying down, resting her head on her arm and closing her eyes. Her muscles hurt from the long walk, and she missed the coolness of Ireland. It had practically been two weeks since she'd been back home in Gordon's house, and she missed Tanith.

Normally she didn't mind being away but when lying beneath a completely different sky, a different moon, she felt so far away from her life.

"Thank you by the way." Sherlock's voice interrupted her sorrowful thoughts.

"For what?"

"Back at the apartment when Cessation did that thing." He explained. "And for helping me walk in the desert."

She shrugged. "It was nothing. I couldn't have let you die and I couldn't have left you there. I really had no choice."

"There are always choices."

She looked up at where she assumed his head would be. Through the impenetrable darkness she imagined him staring blankly in front of him, his mind focusing on a memory she couldn't grasp. She wondered what he was thinking.

"What was it like? Bleeding like that?" She easily remembered him shaking and convulsing, blood seeping from his nose, mouth, eyes and ears. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before. The helplessness of just watching had been too much.

"It felt like my blood was on fire." Sherlock whispered. "Like a lake of burning molten lava desperate to escape from my veins."

They were silent.

She closed her eyes again, exhausted from traveling the flat dry everlasting plains of this strange hostile new world.

**Alrighty, please leave a review and I'll try to bring you another chapter as soon as possible :D Hope you enjoyed it!  
REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! **


	3. Chapter 3

"What happened?" Valkyrie demanded. "Who did this?"

She and Sherlock stared down at what was left of the well. It was now a small pile of rocks. It'd been filled in during the night. Nothing else had moved, the sand on the ground hadn't been disturbed and neither of them had heard anything.

"Who could have done this!" She demanded again.

"It was the demon." The Ratman insisted. He stooped behind them, eyes jumping from building to building nervously.

His jitters were making her worry. "If we don't find water we're going to die."

Sherlock turned away from her and gazed at the rooftops. His eyes narrowed as he addressed the air. "Impressive! With one simple move you've rendered all our actions meaningless. Show yourself so we can know our vanquisher."

The square was silent. A small wind stirred the sand. Nothing moved for so long that she didn't think anyone was listening. She was about to tell Sherlock her thoughts, when the laughter begun.

Laughter filled the square so suddenly she stumbled backwards into Sherlock. It was the hysterical laughter of the completely insane. It cackled and creaked like broken glass. It was madness like she had never heard before. She shivered, horrified by whatever could make sound like that. She wasn't ready to face it, wasn't ready to fight it, she had no magic.

And then the sound stopped echoing. It came from the doorway of a half fallen in house at the opposite side of the square. A figure moved in the shadows. It limped forward; half bent over and horribly twisted.

The woman was hardly recognizable, although Valkyrie felt Sherlock stiffen beside her.

"It's her, the demon." Ratman whispered.

The woman continued laughing, a bloody smile revealed cracked teeth and blackening gums. Large brown scars ran vertically down her face, her nose was crooked and she wore nothing more than a dirty cloth dress that just barely covered her.

Valkyrie's eyes were wide, her heart racing faster than any time before. She couldn't believe her eyes. _She_ was dead.

"I wondered when you would turn up." Darquess marveled, gaps between teeth revealed a half bitten off tongue. Her words were distorted much like her body.

Valkyrie couldn't speak. She couldn't even open her mouth to make an attempt.

"Terrifying sight isn't it? Seeing yourself broken, battered, a crumpled remnant of your once great glory?" Darquess continued.

"I didn't know you had a twin." Sherlock muttered weakly beside her.

"And you brought a plaything." Darquess giggled. "Although I do miss the skeleton."

"What are you doing here?" Valkyrie shouted abruptly, her voice finally working.

"This is my town." She gestured around her. "The demon's town. That's what they call me; _the Demon. _Those that rule this world. I once thought Mevolent was a cruel leader. You think that too but you haven't met this guy."

"I_, don't understand."

"I survived the faceless ones even though you'd tricked me there weak, I still won. But here….." She growled. "I destroyed this village but they came and they taught me a lesson. This is _my _town now!" She screamed the last sentence. "It's mine!"

"Are you going to kill us or just make us vomit to death from the sight of your missing tongue?" It was a poor come back but she was scared. She had no way to defend herself or Sherlock.

"No." Darquess began laughing again. "I'm going to watch, watch as they destroy you as they destroyed me. You can leave whenever you want but the beautiful symbols on your wrists will keep you here just as well as shackles. Without a way to create water you'll have to stay close to the well but I destroyed that didn't I. Oops."

Valkyrie scowled at her. "What makes you think my partner here isn't an elemental?"

"He doesn't have any magic. I can still see it." She purred. "Soon, once you're broken like me we'll join together once more. We'll be strong again, finally."

"That isn't going to happen." Valkyrie spat out fearfully, her voice shaking as badly as her hands.

"Oh it's an inevitability." She smiled widely. "You have no way of escape and they're on their way. Although I will miss the presence of my pet."

Her eyes flittered to Ratman who shuddered. Tears ran from his eyes.

"I will definitely miss him, but it'll be worth it to see you suffer."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Valkyrie interrupted, bring Darquess' attention back to her. "And I don't care because like always Skulduggery and I will defeat you. I can promise you that."

Darquess erupted into laughter. She tilted her head back and jittered with each gasp. "You fool!" She cried. "You don't have to defeat me, I'm not going to lay a finger on you. You have to worry about those that defeated me. You will be broken by those that ruined me!"

"You're speaking about whomever Lord Cessation works for aren't you?" Sherlock's voice broke through the crazed air. It was calm, controlled and intelligent.

Darquess reacted instantly. She sneered and reverted to a defensive stance. "Cessation works for no one. He does everything for himself and works with the King."

"King who?" Valkyrie asked.

"His name is unimportant. You're fools for_," she paused her head tilted, listening to something they couldn't hear. Suddenly she turned and ran, moving faster than Valkyrie had thought possible.

Within seconds she was gone. The chilling shivers down Valkyrie's back were the only indications of her presence.

She sunk to the ground gasping deeply, trying to fill her lungs. _She_ was meant to be gone not here alive. Skulduggery had said she wouldn't have to worry anymore. He'd said she was gone.

"So that is your split personality." Sherlock muttered. "I thought she'd be more terrifying."

Her head snapped up at him. "I never told you about her!"

"I observed it. You should take deep breaths and make sure your pulse begins to slow back down again." He explained. "But if what she said is true then we can assume that Cessation or his men will be on his way."

"What are we meant to do then?" She asked, trying to comply with his suggestions. "Should we just leave? Take our chances running. We might come upon a new village."

"We should stay!" Ratman announced with surprising gusto. "The demon will protect us!"

"No she won't." Valkyrie snapped angrily. "We can look after ourselves!"

"You really can't." A voice whispered from the shadows. Shouts vibrated around the village. People melted from every shadow. They were dressed head to toe in seamless metal armor. Their curved swords were like extensions of their arms.

But what made Valkyrie shudder was the two men in suits. Jack the Ripper and James Moriarty. They smirked as they walked up to them, happily in control.

"What an interesting sight this is." Jack chuckled. "What happened to all your smart remarks Miss Cain?"

She gulped and shrugged. "I'm a little busy to think up anything. Sherlock aren't you going to say anything?"

He just kept staring at Moriarty. Sherlock's face was as blank and impassive as always while Moriarty was smirking. It was a dark psychotic grin.

"You see what is interesting about this situation Miss Cain?" Jack continued. "Cessation has given us your lives. You belong to me dear."

"I belong to no one." She growled.

"Oh how wrong you are."

"Who are these people surrounding us?" Valkyrie asked casually. "I mean don't they have a say in who owns who?"

"Of course not!" Jack laughed. "They're empty things for me to use."

Having his back to the army he didn't notice them shift suddenly. They appeared unsettled by what Jack had said. She wondered if he was really in control.

"I wonder how they feel about being called empty things." Valkyrie continued. "Because I always thought Cleavers were empty but they're actually quite deep."

Everyone frowned.

"Enough stalling." Jack grabbed her arms.

"Let go of me before Skulduggery makes you regret ever putting a finger on me." She hissed.

"I doubt that very much." He muttered and leaned closer to her face.

She stood her ground, staring into his eyes.

Suddenly his face exploded. Valkyrie shrieked and stumbled backwards, blood splattered over her face. The end of a curved sword protruded from his skull. His multi-coloured eyes were devoid of life. The sword was ripped free and his body crumpled to the ground.

He was dead. Jack the Ripper was finally dead.


	4. Chapter 4

**Well well well, look who finally updated :P  
I am so sorry, I can't even remember what I was doing when I last updated :D I believe I was in the final year of high school and then first year Uni and now I'm halfway through second year uni so I'm not even going to make a promise to update regularly, I think we all know that won't happen. I will however say that I will do my best to finish this story, it may take a year or two but it will be finished! **

Valkyrie forced her eyes away from Jack the Ripper's dead body. Instead she looked up at the man standing over his body and wiping his curved sword on his wrist. He was a terrifying man; something from the most disturbing of nightmares.

He was tall, unnaturally tall, he was thin, sickly thin and he was pale, as pale as the dead. His ears were pierced by thick poles of metal and his skin was entirely covered in tattoos. Deep black lines curled and twisted around his features, framing his lips, writhing up over his bald head and sinking beneath his collarbones. But worst were his eyes, they were entirely white. He had no pupil.

She couldn't help but gulp.

He waved his hands over her and she felt a jerk on her wrists. It was the symbols carved into her arm. He raised his hand and she was tugged, by an unseen force, to her feet. She struggled against his powers as he tilted his head.

"You are now the property of Duke Vincent Aema Cessation, master of the Haemon, deliverer of punishments and controller of the guilty." He stated, and his voice was like the whip of wind through a graveyard, cold and dead.

"I belong to no one." She growled.

"And Sherlock Holmes belongs to me." Moriarty interrupted, stepping forward eagerly.

She noticed Sherlock nodding in the corner of her eye. "I figured as much. We have much to catch up on."

"And you will come with me." The man continued.

She laughed. "If you think you will split us up you're mistaken." She stopped struggling against his magic. Suddenly she slammed her forehead into his. Pain filled her head but she was used to it by now.

The man's head snapped backwards and there was a sickening crack. She stared in horror as his head rolled and his neck clicked back into place.

He stared at her with a blank expression. Then he stamped his right foot.

Green light exploaded all around her, so bright she had to shield her eyes. When it faded she fell to her knees. She was lightheaded and dizzy, feeling as though she'd lost too much blood.

A foul stench assaulted her nose. It was sweat and blood mixed with fear. Her mind flashed briefly to what it'd been like in Mevolent's mirror dimension. There only the people had smelt of fear but here the ground burnt with it.

She was in a completely different world. She was surrounded by brick buildings and darkness. She shivered from the cold sweat she'd acquired from the heat of the desert, hugging her body to remain warm. It was like they'd teleported but they couldn't have, she knew what teleporting felt like and that wasn't it.

Sherlock, Moriarty and half of the metal covered men were no longer with them. Left behind or taken somewhere else, she didn't know.

She felt a tug on the symbols on her arms and was pulled to her feet.

"Welcome to Doitean Marbh." The man spoke, reveling in black air. "Come, your master awaits."

The world was cold and wet.

Sanguine was so sick of being cold and wet and this final development was like a slap in the face. He'd always thought that Ireland was the most miserable place in the world. He'd planned to return to Texas after escaping from prison, a snow capped mountain during a blizzard had never entered his mind.

"Where are we?!" He screamed over the wind.

"We appear to be on the summit of a mountain." Katran replied, pulling his sleeveless camping vest tighter around his chest.

"Do you want to say 'duh' or shall I?" Dexter muttered.

It was a ridiculous image. The three of them, neither very fond of the other, all stuck _hopefully_ in a new dimension, and _hopefully_ in the same dimension as Valkyrie Cain.

"I can't seem to see Valkyrie anywhere." Sanguine growled. "I don't see anyone."

"It's not my fault." Katran hissed. "Blame the shunter."

"It's not his fault either." Dexter interrupted. "Something went wrong with the shunt. It was like something or someone pushed us off course. We just have to hope we're in the right world."

"What's the plan then?" Sanguine was seriously not in any mood to waste time. He felt a horrible restlessness. The same restlessness he got that time he tried to quit killing and be a detective. It hadn't gone well the last time and he didn't think Valkyrie would like it if he killed her friends.

"Get off this mountain and get some information." Dexter shook himself before setting off in what appeared to be a random direction.

Sanguine looked at Katran who shrugged. Neither of them had a better plan so they followed him.

**One thing this long break has helped me appreciate is how much my writing has improved. I only read over this chapter and edited it but some of my wording is still slightly painful :D Hopefully you'll see what I mean in the next couple of chapters that will be my new skill level and hopefully way more exciting than the last… **


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